I'll Be With You Forever
by Kitty Meow
Summary: Two people, minds in turmoil, forever searching for each other. A new challenge that can not be faced alone, but together. SS. discontinued indefinitely
1. Prologue

I'll Be With You Forever

By: Kitty

This is my first fan fiction ever so please go easy on me. Don't flame me too much! The only way I know that you like this fan fiction so far is if you tell me. I will NOT, and I repeat, WILL NOT write the next chapter unless I get at least 20 positive reviews. Underneath there are some other stuff you might like to know and I apologize if I spelt anything wrong, please tell me if I do. If there's anything else you would like to know, just contact me. Another thing, just to warn you, this turned out to be extremely long so only read if you're willing to read a long chapter.

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Japanese/English names:

Sakura-Sakura

Syaoran-Li

Meilin-Meilin

Touya-Tori

Tomoyo-Madison

Fujitaka Kinomoto (Sakura's dad)-Aiden Avalon

Japanese/English/Chinese translations:

Sakura-cherry blossom-Ying fa

Syaoron-little wolf-siw long (pronounced "seew long")

Aishiteru-I love you

Airigato-thank you

Hai-yes-hai

Hoe-something like "Oh no"-Iye ya

Si fu (pronounced "see fu (fu as in to_fu_"))-master

Gaki-brat

Kaiju-monster

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Disclaimer: Oh ya, I almost forgot about the disclaimer. Well, I don't own any of Card Captor, blah, blah, blah. Yeah I know I don't, just don't rub it in too much. *Author breaks down into uncontrollable hysterics*

Any..*sniff*..ways..*sniff*..let's get on with the..*sniff*..story..*sniff, sniff*

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Prologue

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*~Sakura~*

" HOEEEEEE!!!" screamed Sakura angrily at the time on the alarm clock. Small beams of sunlight reflected off the girl's beautiful hazel hair. Emerald eyes quickly scanned the room for her plain, blue college uniform but instead fell upon a gold-framed picture of her beloved, Syaoran, and her.

*Flashback*

It was Sakura's thirteenth birthday as the girl pondered sadly and anxiously in the silence of her room. To the hazel haired girl, it seemed like everyone had forgotten how special this day was, only Kero had remembered to wish her a happy birthday. =Uh oh! How do you put a flashback in a flashback? I know! I'll put them in "~..~", OK?=

~..~ Sakura was late coming to school once again but this time she had a happy and excited look on her face. "Hey Sakura!" called her best friend Tomoyo.

"Oh, hey Tomoyo!" replied Sakura cheerfully.

"Why are you so happy today Sakura?" Tomoyo questioned quizzically.

"Oh, you know. That special day that's today, "Sakura answered, with a tinge of disappointment in her usually melodious voice. When Tomoyo gave her a puzzled look, Sakura exclaimed, "Don't tell me you forgot!"

She quickly looked over at Syaoran, who was watching the whole exchange, with pleading emerald eyes and asked, "Did you forget too?" The question took Syaoron by surprise, he could never lie to Sakura when she looked at him with those dazzling emerald eyes. "Umm...uh..." he stuttered unsurely as a red heat took him by surprise. Luckily for him, Sakura wasn't watching him, she was staring out the window blankly with tears starting to glaze her hurt-filled eyes. ~..~

A sudden knock on the door jolted Sakura back to reality as her father called, "Come down Sakura, you have some guests."

"Hai dad," Sakura replies glumly. She slowly descended the stairs sadly but what she saw took her breath away. Everyone was gathered downstairs, waiting for her.

"Surprise!" family members and close friends yelled to the definitely surprised girl. The room was brightly lit by thirteen pink candles on the pink birthday cake and the small pink candles that dotted the room. As she blew out all the candles on the cake except one, Tomoyo exclaimed, "Oh! Sakura's gonna have a boyfriend and we all know who that's going to be, hey Sakura?" Sakura flushed bright red at the comment but only said, "Come off it already Tomoyo!" Tomoyo had been trying to set Syaoran and Sakura up ever since sixth grade.

After everyone had finished eating his or her piece of delicious strawberry cake, compliments of Tomoyo, Sakura got down to opening presents. When she finally came to the last person, Syaoran handed her a box wrapped in pink wrapping paper decorated with Sakura flowers. Sakura carefully unwrapped the precious gift and opened the box to reveal a picture framed in gold. The picture was of Syaoran and her, sitting on a swing together underneath a Sakura tree.

*End of Flashback*

Sakura slowly put the picture back on her walnut wood dresser as a solitary tear make it's way down her cheek. It had been six whole years from the time Syaoran had left for his home in Hong Kong. Syaoran had told her about his departure when they had some time alone after her birthday party. He had promise Sakura that they would be reunited soon but, so far, the statement had been proven false. Sakura had waited for him, agonizing day after agonizing day. Waiting...that was what she was doing these past six years. When was the last time that Syaoran had contacted her? She wasn't too sure herself but she knew that Syaoran had broken the contact within the first year of their separation. She had a whole box of letters and e-mails to prove it.

"Sakura, time for supper!" called Mr. Kinomoto from downstairs. "Coming!" Sakura answered, still startled from the distraction of her thoughts.

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*~Syaoran~*

It was a tough afternoon for Syaoran, after experiencing a whole morning of intense training. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals were hard for this warrior to squeeze into his already crammed schedule. 

The sorcerer hastily brushed aside a few tendrils of his raven black hair as his amber eyes focused on his opponent. However, those amber eyes soon wandered to the Sakura tree in the window just beyond his opponent. A barely dodged kick soon brought Syaoran back to real life as he promised himself that he would not let his attention wander to HER again. It had already been six years since they had been apart. -But it's so hard, everything reminds me of HER. Sakura...-

"Oomph!" Syaoran exclaimed as he barely stifled a groan. The punch that his opponent landed soon brought the raven-haired boy back to reality. As Syaoran regained his composure, his opponent attempted to kick Syaoran in his stomach but this time, Syaoran was ready. Syaoran swiftly dodged the kick and quickly swiped at his opponent's feet. The opponent tripped and fell hard on the blue practice mat. Finally, the competition was over and Syaoran was declared the winner. Directly after the competition, Syaoran immediately took a shower, changed, and flopped onto his green bed to receive a good rest. The last thought he had before drifting into exhaustion induced sleep was, -Sakura...-but he didn't have time to think about anything more because he was already sound asleep.

^~^ To be continued (if you guys want)...^~^

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Kero: Hey! How come I'm not in this?!?!

Kitty: Patience is a virtue, Kero.

Kero: Don't give me that stupid fortune cookie crap!

Kitty: KERO!!!!

Kero: Well, I want to be in THIS chapter!!!

Kitty: Relax, relax! *grumble, grumble...stupid stuffed animal...*

Kero: What did you call me?!?!?

Kitty: Umm...nothing. How 'bout I mention you ALOT in the next chapter.

Kero: FINE!!

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Preview of the next chapter:

Who is the mysterious figure that starts haunting Syaoran's dreams? Also, what does the letter Sakura receives really mean? Will our fated Card Captors be reunited? Tune in next chapter to find out.

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Author's comments:

Hey fans...if I have any. Thank you SOOO much for reading my sad excuse for a fan fiction. Remember, if you want me to write another chapter, I expect a minimum of 20 reviews (not including flamez) hopefully. The next chapter will be posted soon after the 20th review (if I get any). Until next time...hopefully.


	2. Chapter 1:The Dream and The Letter

I'll Be With You Forever

By: Kitty

I just knew I had some fans out there. I'm still trying to get over the shock that some people (bless you) actually liked my fan fiction. For the benefit of the few fans out there that I have, I've decided to post the second chapter. I love all you wonderful people out there that reviewed my fic and I thank you very much. It's just that I got a very sufficient push from some people, not naming anyone in particular *cough* midnight arrow *cough. Anyway, here's the next chapter for you miniscule amount of fans. Again, this chapter is really long, even longer that the last one but hey, a writer's got the do what a writer's got to do.

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This chapter is dedicated to all the people who reviewed the prologue. You don't know how much it means to me when you R+R. Thank you, you have been my inspiration.

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*WAIT! I still have to mention all the translations and stuff*

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Japanese/English names:

Sakura-Sakura

Syaoran-Li

Meilin-Meilin

Touya-Tori

Tomoyo-Madison

Mr. Fujitaka Kinomoto (Sakura's dad)-Mr. Fujitaka Kinomoto

Japanese/English/Chinese translations:

Sakura-cherry blossom-Ying fa

Syaoron-little wolf-siw long (pronounced "seew long")

Aishiteru-I love you

Airigato-thank you

Hai-yes-hai

Hoe-something like "Oh no"-Iye ya

Si fu (pronounced "see fu (fu as in to_fu_"))-master

Gaki-brat

Kaiju-monster

Oni-chan-dad

Ni-chan-brother

Moshi, moshi-something like hi

Ohayo-good morning-joe sun

Ja ne-goodbye

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*Wait! I still have to put in the disclaimer*

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Card Captors, all I own are the ideas that I put into my story. Seeing this, please don't sue me, I'm just I poor author who wants to write fan fictions.

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*WAIT! One more thing, I'm gonna call this chapter 2 but it's really chapter 1 because of the prologue. Chapter 2 is gonna be called chapter 3, chapter 3 is gonna be called chapter 4 etc. because I'm just gonna go along with the way fanfiction.net categorizes things.

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*Wait! Just kidding. Now, on with the story!*

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Chapter 1: The Dream and The Letter

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Darkness...

Everywhere...darkness...

So much darkness that it was suffocating...

Syaoran was suffocating in darkness...

A hooded figure stepped out of the ocean of darkness. The figure looked like "The Shadow" Sakura card except this mysterious figure radiated evil. Then Syaoran felt the familiar aura of the one he loved, Sakura. Her aura was flickering, as if she was close to death. "Syaoran, help me!" Sakura pleaded weakly. Syaoran tried his hardest to rescue Sakura but his feet were unable to move. It was as if someone...or some...THING had forced him into an immobile position.

"NOOOOOO!!!!" Syaoran screamed as he awoke suddenly from his nightmare. He was sweating fiercely and tears were running un-mercilessly down his face. Syaoran's whole face was as pale as a ghost was and though he wasn't cold, he was still shaking like a leaf. _It was just a nightmare, just a nightmare, just a nightmare..._Syaoran kept reminding himself as his heart beat ever faster. But even as the frightened boy kept reminding himself that, he knew deep down inside that it wasn't just a nightmare...it was a vision.

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*~Sakura~*

Sakura woke up suddenly from her nightly slumber in a cold sweat. She didn't quite grasp the reason why she awoke so abruptly but she had this "feeling" that something wasn't right. The nineteen year old girl =Did I mention how old Sakura was in the last chapter?=, scanned her room nervously, looking for any sign of danger. When she found none, she still remained suspicious. A still half-asleep Kero made his way groggily to the Card Mistress. "What's wrong Sakura?" a stuffed animal like thing asked worriedly.

"It's nothing important, Kero," replied Sakura, not wanting to worry her guardian but you could still hear the nervousness in her voice.

"You know Sakura, I'll always be hear if you need me or want to talk to me," stated the guardian beast, un-satisfaction and worry lining his voice.

"Ya, I know. It's really not that important," answered Sakura, though she knew in her heart that she had felt something.

"Good night, Kero," called the card captor from underneath the covers of her bed.

"'Night, Sakura," replied an already drowsy Kero.

As the two finished their conversation, a hooded figure watched a sleeping Sakura from a nearby tree. "Soon, my cherry blossom, soon," said the figure menacingly.

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*~Syaoran~*

Syaoran was trying extremely hard to discover the identity of the mysterious figure. He was very preoccupied, the only thing he could think of was, -I have to save Sakura, I have to save Sakura, I have to save Sakura...- was all the amber eyed boy could think of.

"SYAORAN!!!!" yelled his Si fu in uncontrollable rage for the hundreth time.

"Iye ya!" exclaimed Syaoran, "what were you saying?"

"I was _saying_ that you have to concentrate more on the battle field! Your opponent is having too many chances to land a hit!! Don't you remember what happened yesterday?!? How do you expect to be the leader of the Li Clan without concentration?!?!

-But I don't want to be the leader of the Li Clan if I can't protect _her_. I'm nothing without Sakura. She's everything to me. I don't want to...- but Syaoran never got to finish his thought because his Si fu hit him on the head with a staff. = The type of staff that I'm talking about is not a wizard's staff. It's a wooden stick used is martial arts. = 

"Hey! What did you do that for?!?!" exclaimed Syaoran, still rubbing his head where the staff hit him.

"Because you weren't concentrating, AGAIN! I want you to do the "Crouching Tiger" form three times!" yelled the Si fu, unable to contain his anger. =Ya, I know your thinking of the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon= You could see Syaoran audibly wince at the remark but he had a good reason to because the "Crouching Tiger" form took 30 minutes to perform. = For those of you who don't fell like doing Math, it means 90 min (1h 30 min) of a non stop excursion of strength=

It was a long tough day of training, even longer, tougher, and more intense than before because of his mistake. Syaoran's Si fu kept scolding and punishing him for his lack of concentration.

Even though Syaoran was sore and tired from his training, he still searched vigorously for the meaning and a way to solve his dream. He still had to save Sakura. _Sakura, how con I protect you if you're all the way in Japan? - thought Syaoran fruitlessly. =Fruitlessly means in vain= Then he had a brilliant and fool-proof (or so he thought) plan. -I know! I'll bring Sakura here to Hong Kong! Then I can protect her from whoever is trying to hurt her! -thought Syaoran happily. "Fine. Then it's settled! I'll invite Sakura over for Christmas holidays so she can't get hurt!" cried Syaoran out loud as he logged onto the Internet. But what Syaoran didn't know was that an evil figure was watching and listening to him from the window. =For those of you people who don't know, Syaoran sending Sakura an e-mail=

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*~Unknown~*

An unknown figure paced impatiently in a room filled with darkness and evil. All of a sudden, the figure smirked evilly and exclaimed, "Finally, finally, I have you in my grasp, my little cherry blossom. At last, after six long years of waiting, you will be mine! Bwahahahahaha!"

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*~Sakura~*

The emerald-eyed girl logged on tiredly into her e-mail on the computer. As Sakura barely stifled a yawn, she noticed a new e-mail from someone she didn't know. "Don't open it, Sakura. It could contain a virus," advised Kero, who seemingly appeared form thin air. =Hey, I don't know where Kero come from! He was just...THERE= Sakura stiffened a bit from Kero's remark, surprised that Kero was in the room.

"Oh, it's you Kero," said Sakura, who started to relax, "don't do that!"

"Sorry Sakura," replied Kero, though you could see that he wasn't that sorry.

I'm going to look at it any ways. It's titled 'invitation'," resolved Sakura, referring to the former remark that Kero made.

"Don't, Sakura," advised Kero, this time more serious.

"I'll do what I want, Kero. Any ways, the name 'little green wolf' reminds me of something...or rather someone," sighed Sakura dreamily. -It's been so long..._though Sakura.

"You mean that Chinese gaki?!?!" exclaimed Kero with a look of disgust on his face.

"He is NOT a gaki!" yelled Sakura defensively, snapping out of her dream about Syaoran.

"Is everything all right up there, Sakura?" asked Mr. Kinomoto worriedly.

"Hai, everything's all right dad. No problem!" called Sakura from upstairs, nervousness lacing her voice.

"Are you sure dear" Mr. Kinomoto asked, still not fully convinced.

"Hai I'm sure," answered Sakura, who started to pace the room from nervousness.

"Okay then, if you say so," called Sakura's father from the kitchen.

"Phew!!" sighed Sakura as she let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding.

"That was a close one, Kero," said Sakura, "you have to be more careful!"

"Moi?" replied Kero, "well _excuse_ me, but _I_ wasn't the one who was YELLING!"

"Jeez, you're so hard to deal with! Humph!" cried Sakura as she turned back to face her computer.

Sakura calmly clicked the title of the e-mail, despite the outbursts of disapproval from Kero. The e-mail read:

Dear Sakura,

I wanted to know if you would like to come to Hong Kong @ my home for Christmas break. That way, we can catch up on all the things we missed these past few years. I'd really appreciate it if you would come.

Your friend,

Syaoran

PS: I'll give you the details later.

Sakura was in utter shock when she read the surprising e-mail. -Who would have thought? Finally, after five years of lost contact, he decides to communicate with me. I can't wait to...- but Sakura never got to finish her thought because Kero had interrupted her.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING TO ANSWER THAT, ARE YOU?!?!" Kero practically yelled.

"Of course I am," replied Sakura calmly, but you could see her eyes dancing with happiness. Sakura quickly clicked the reply button on the bottom of the e-mail and typed:

Dear Syaoran,

Long time to see! I'd love to come to Hong Kong to visit! I still have to get my dad to consent but I'm sure I can persuade him. Touya's a different story though, I'm not sure he'll ever let me go _anywhere_. Well, I'll e-mail you back with the answer.

TTYL, =That means talk to you later=

Sakura

"Yay! I have to tell Tomoyo this!!!" exclaimed Sakura happily.

"Tell Tomoyo what, kaju?" asked Touya, suddenly appearing at the door.

"Oh...umm...nnothing rrreally iimportant," stammered Sakura nervously. "Wow! Look at the time, gotta go!" called Sakura as she ran out of the room faster than "The Dash" card. Of course, she didn't forget to delete the e-mail Syaoran sent her, before she dashed out.

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*~Syaoran~*

-Hmmm....'pink cherry blossom'...that must be Sakura. - thought Syaoran as he clicked open the e-mail. After reading the e-mail, Syaoran sighed contently. Soon he would be able to see his Cherry Blossom again, though Touya could pose a problem. -If anyone can convince Touya, than Sakura can_ thought Syaoran with a smirk. -I can't wait to see Sakura again...that lustrous hazel hair...those dazzling emerald eyes that are more precious than jewels...that...- but Syaoran couldn't complete his thought because he was interrupted by his mother.

"Syaoran, dinner is ready," she called from the kitchen.

"Coming," replied Syaoran, starting to leave the room.

What Syaoran didn't know was that right after he left his room, a hooded figure emerged from the shadows. It quickly read the e-mail, which Syaoran had forgotten to close, and carefully made its escape. The figure smiled an evil grin as it blended into the shadows of the night. -My plan is coming together perfectly- thought the figure with a smirk of pure evil.

*To be continued...most likely*

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Kitty: Now wasn't that an exciting chapter? :)

*Tomoyo appears*

Tomoyo: No it wasn't!!

Kitty: How come *Kitty asks with hurt-filled eyes*

Tomoyo: Because I wasn't in it!!!

Kitty: Oh, was that all? ^. ~

Tomoyo: Was that all?!?! Of course it is!! How come you didn't include me so that I could record Sakura?!?!

*Kitty sweat drops*

Kitty: I was planning on hooking you and Eriol up in an upcoming chapter.

Tomoyo: Me and... ERIOL!

*Eriol appears*

Eriol: Did someone say my name?

Kitty: If I'm not mistaken, you two already...*cough* kissed *cough*, right? *Kitty mysteriously pulls out a camcorder with a tape of both of them kissing*

Eriol and Tomoyo: How did you...

*Eriol and Tomoyo bout faint*

Kitty: Oh well, hope they get better by the next chapter. *Kitty puts away camcorder*

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Preview of next chapter:

What is the identity of this hooded figure? Will Sakura and Syaoran see each other again? Will Sakura's father let her go to Hong Kong? How about Touya? Find out in the next chapter of "I'll Be With You Forever"!!

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Author's comments:

So, did you like the chapter? Flamez are excepted! Sorry it took so long; I finished this chapter a long time ago but it took a long time for me to get 20 reviews. Thanx for reading my whole chapter, I really appreciate it. This time, all I'm expecting is 10 reviews for the next chapter! Until next time! Bye!


	3. Chapter 2:Approval and Disaproval

I'll Be With You Forever

By: Kitty

Aloha everyone!!! I'm soooo sorry that this chapter got out really late but I can't help it, I had major writer's block. I'd like to thank anyone who took the time to read this and hasn't given up on me yet. I'm getting pretty frustrated though, I didn't even get ten reviews!!! Arrrrggghh!!!!! Starting from this chapter on, if I don't get at least four puny reviews, even flamez, then I WILL discontinue this fic since nobody likes it. Another thing is that I don't really understand any of the -kun, -san, -chan stuff so I'm going to leave it out except for Sakura's dad and brother. Well, I'll get through all the gibberish stuff and then, one with the story!!!

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Japanese/English names:

Sakura-Sakura

Syaoran-Li

Meilin-Meilin

Touya-Tori

Tomoyo-Madison

Mr. Fujitaka Kinomoto (Sakura's dad)-Mr. Fujitaka Kinomoto

Japanese/English/Chinese translations:

Sakura-cherry blossom-Ying fa

Syaoron-little wolf-siw long (pronounced "seew long")

Aishiteru-I love you

Airigato-thank you

Hai-yes-hai

Hoe-something like "Oh no"-Iye ya

Si fu (pronounced "see fu (fu as in to_fu_"))-master

Gaki-brat

Kaiju-monster

Otou-san (or) tou-san-dad

Oni-san (or) ni-san-brother

Moshi, moshi-something like hi

Ohayo-good morning-joe sun

Ja ne (or) ja-goodbye

Konichiwa-good afternoon

Sayonara (did I spell that write?)-goodbye

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This fic is once again dedicated to my well-remembered fans, especially the one(s) that stuck with me since the first chapter. I'd also like to dedicate this to my editor who was always there for me, through thick and thin. One more person is the mysterious person that added me onto their favorites list, I really appreciate it. Thank you all!!!!

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Disclaimer: (I hate doing these) Well, Cardcaptor doesn't belong to me, blah, blah, blah, yatta, yatta, yatta.

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Chapter 2: Approval and Disapproval

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*~Sakura~*

"Otou-san, ni-san. I would like to speak to you about something important," Sakura said, at the dinner table that night.

"What is it, kaju?" asked Touya, still eating his rice.

"Please tell us, Sakura," added Fujitaka.

"First of all, I am NOT a kaju!" yelled Sakura angrily at Touya.

"So what...kaju?" replied Touya, not at all flustered from the comment.

"Grrrr..." growled Sakura but nevertheless, continued, "Well, Syaoran asked me to come to Hong Kong for Christmas holidays."

"WHAT?!?!" cried Touya, spitting out whatever rice he had just consumed.

"I said..."started Sakura, but she didn't get to finish because Touya had interrupted her.

"I KNOW what you said!!! I meant WHAT do you expect us to SAY?!?! Yes?!?!" interrupted the over-protective brother rudely.

"Actually, I think it would be a wonderful experience for Sakura," replied Fujitaka calmly, speaking up for the first time. He had notice the anxious glint in Sakura's eyes when she had mentioned Hong Kong and tears that had threatened when Touya had objected.

"Really?" asked Sakura, shocked yet happy at the same time. It had been so long since she had seen Syaoran. -I'd do anything to see those amber eyes again. Those eyes that I could drown in,- thought Sakura happily.

"NO!!!" yelled Touya with so much force that it startled both Sakura and her father.

"No?" cried Sakura, whose eyes started to get a watery glaze form sorrow and regret.

"Let's look at this in a calm way, Touya," said Sakura's father, starting to worry about his son's behavior.

"No! He hurt Sakura!" replied Touya firmly. Sakura sighed anime style. It had been six years and Touya still hadn't been able to forgive Syaoran.

"Well, you're not tou-san, Touya! I don't need YOUR permission!!" yelled Sakura so loudly that she surprised Touya and Fujitaka. Sakura never yelled, she was just to kind and innocent to do that.

" No! I..."started Touya but was interrupted.

"Actually, Touya, I believe Sakura's right about that," interrupted Fujitaka.

"But, but..." Touya was about to say.

No buts!! =Not _that_ way, all you sick minded people= Sakura is going to go to Hong Kong. It's a once in a lifetime experience," said Sakura's father, convince to let Sakura go to Hong Kong.

" Thank-you sooooooo much otou-san," cried Sakura happily with tears of joy in her eyes. She quickly dashed upstairs to write an e-mail to Syaoran.

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*~Syaoran~*

Syaoran had been pacing around his room, staring at the computer screen for one whole hour, non-stop. He had been impatiently waiting for the e-mail from Sakura when all of a sudden, the name "pink_cherry_blossom" blinked on the screen. "Finally!" sighed Syaoran exasperatingly. He quickly clicked the flashing name to read the e-mail. The e-mail said: =all the things in brackets are the things that Sakura wanted to add but didn't actually type.=

Dear (my beloved) Syaoran,

I'm so excited. I can't wait to see you again (those amber eyes, that hazel hair, that wonderful smile...=you get the point=)! I can't believe it, tou-san actually agreed! E-mail me back with the details about the stay (and why you didn't contact me for five years)!

From (lave),

Sakura

-Yay!- thought Syaoran,-She finally convinced her father...maybe not Touya though.- Syaoran could barely contain his happiness from reading the worth-while letter. His eyes were glittering with happiness when his alarm clock buzzer went off, a sign to start his training. It was already six a.m. and he had to get a move on. The hazel-haired boy raced happily to his lesson, the effects of the letter not yet wearing off. Right when Syaoran left, a shadowed figure once again read the e-mail (just like last time) and the leaped out of the window; onto the sun-bathed tree.

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*~Sakura~*

Ring, ring! Ring, ring! rang the Daidouji =did I spell that right?= house's phone. "Moshi, moshi!" greeted Tomoyo, picking up the phone..

"Tomoyo! You won't believe what happened!" exclaimed Sakura from the other end of the phone.

"What?" asked Tomoyo, starting to get excited.

"I'm going to see Syaoran in Hong Kong for Christmas holidays! Otou-san said I could go!" answered Sakura happily. Tomoyo was shocked and happy at the same time. She wasn't sure if she heard Sakura correctly; it had been six whole years since Syaoran had left Japan...had left Sakura.

"Wow!" said Tomoyo, to happy to notice the negative points.

"I can't believe tou-san actually let me go. I can't wait to see Syaoran again!" replied Sakura, her voice beaming delight.

"I can't wait to design you some dresses for when you go! This is so exciting!" Tomoyo squealed with an equal amount of delight, "I wish I could come to videotape all those kawaii moments! But I'm going to visit Eriol in England!"

Sakura sweat-dropped at the remark about taping but said, "I wish you could come too. I promise to tell you all about Hong Kong when I get back?"

"Sure," replied Tomoyo entusiactically...about designing dresses for Sakura. =I don't think "entusiactically" is an actual word=Then an e-mail from Syaoran blinked on Sakura's computer screen.

"Ja ne, Tomoyo. I just got an e-mail from Syaoran," said Sakura, eager to open the e-mail.

"Okay then. Ja, Sakura," answered Tomoyo as she hung up to phone. -Hmmmm...I wonder how Sakura's dress should look like. Maybe this...-thought the dress-crazed girl as she started brainstorming designs.

Sakura impatiently clicked the e-mail from Syaoran as she smiled happily. The e-mail said:

Dear Sakura, 

I'm so glad that you can come! I'll send you the plane tickets to Hong Kong tomorrow since Christmas bread starts Saturday. =Today is Thursday= We are going to be having five celebration balls, so be prepared. = I know that they didn't have balls (not that type, you hentais) in that time but there is going to be because I'm writing this fic. = Another thing is that you are going to be staying for two weeks, =I don't know how long Japanese Christmas holidays are=it that's okay with you. We can spend Christmas together! If you need to know anything else, just ask. TTYL!

See you soon,

Syaoran

After reading the e-mail, Sakura was basically overflowing with happiness so she had a bright smile on her face. "How come you're so happy Sakura?" asked Kero.

"Otou-san let me go to Hong Kong!! answered Sakura, practically yelling.

"what?" replied the stuffed-bear-like creature.

"Otou-san let me got to Hong Kong!" repeated Sakura excitedly.

"I can't believe it..." muttered Kero as he flew into his drawer to contemplate the situation.

"What's wrong with _him_? asked Sakura to no one in particular, "Oh, well." Sakura quickly clicked the reply button to reply to the message. She wrote:

Dear Syaoran,

I'm sure my otou-san will let me stay that long. It'll be so fun to spend Christmas together? You don't have to buy my tickets, I can buy then myself, but if you want to, you can. Tomoyo said she'd design all my dresses, lol, I can't wait to see them. Well, gotta go. Bye!

Can't wait, Sakura

The auburn-haired girl yawned as she noticed bright, incandescent stars starting to come out. -I hope that I can tell Syaoran how I really feel about him,- wished Sakura upon the first star of the night. Then Sakura yawned as she changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth and headed to bed. "Syaoran..." murmured Sakura as she dove off into peaceful slumber.

+~~~~+

*~Syaoran~*

Right after his intense training lesson, Syaoran expectantly dashed to his room to check his e-mail. After he logged on, he read Sakura's e-mail slowly so he would be able to commit it into his memory. Syaoran chuckled slightly when reading the part of Tomoyo designing Sakura's dresses. -Tomoyo always did like to design things, especially cardcapturing costumes,- thought Syaoran with a chuckle. -I can't believe that actually happened in my training lesson,- remembered Syaoran, actually laughing.

*Flashback*

Syaoran walked into the training room with a joyful smile plastered on his face. The Si fu spun around as soon as he heard someone coming, his senses alert. "Joe sun Si fu!" greeted Syaoran happily with a slight smile. The Si fu was shocked, Syaoran was never early, not to mention being happy and smiling. While the Si fu was thinking of an explanation, he absently dismissed the happy Syaoran, while still trying to get over the shock.

*End Flashback*

Syaoran laughed again in remembrance but soon stopped as soon as he heard the door creak. The computer screen was the only light source in the dark room and a full moon shone eerily in the window. "Who's there?" asked Syaoran, ready to pounce any second.

"It's only me," squeaked a quiet voice from behind the door.

"Meilin? Why are you here?" asked Syaoran puzzledly.

"I heard someone laughing and thought something was wrong," answered Meilin truthfully. All of a sudden, Meilin started crying non-stop.

Syaoran held Meilin and started comforting her and then asked, "Why are you crying Meilin?"  
"J-J-Japan," Meilin was able to choke out before bursting into more tears.

"I understand," said Syaoran, hugging Meilin close. Little did Syaoran know, the reason Meilin said Japan was much different than what Syaoran thought.

To be continued...(probably not)

+~~~~+

Tomoyo: How come I didn't get a big part?!?!

Kitty: Whoa! Easy does it. Don't worry, you'll be playing a big part in the next chapter.

Tomoyo: I'm not sure...that's what you said last time.

Kitty: If you put it that way why don't YOU write the story?

Tomoyo: No, no, no. I'll leave that to you.

Kitty: Well, hope you enjoyed the story you readers. Syaona-

Tomoyo: Wait! Wait!

Kitty: *sighs* What is it now?

Tomoyo: Do I get to make battle costumes for Sakura? Please, please, please, please...!

Kitty: *sweat-drops* If you keep asking then no and I WILL confiscate your camera!

Tomoyo: Oh...you don't have to be such a @#$&% about it!!!  
Kitty: *holds gigantic mallet over camera* Are you sure about that?

Tomoyo: I mean, you're such a kind and caring person *cough* not *cough*.

Kitty: Did you say something?

Tomoyo: No, no. Not _me_.

Kitty: Okay, bye then!

Tomoyo: Bye!

+~~~~+

Preview of the next chapter:

=I know I've said this a lot but...= Will are destined magic wielders be together again? Will Touya be able to cool his anger and forgive Syaoran? What dresses does Tomoyo have up her sleeve? Can Sakura finally tell Syaoran how she feels about him? How about Syaoran, will he tell her? What well Syaoran's family think about the arrangement? What does the hooded figure want with Sakura and why? Find out next time (if there is one) on ...I'll Be With you Forever!

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Author's notes:

I don't really have much to say about this fic since I said most of it at the beginning. One thing I want you guyz to decide is if I should make Meilin a bad person or a good person. That's all I've got to say. Bye!! 


	4. Chapter 3:Reunion

I'll Be With You Forever

By: Kitty

I'm sooooo sorry for not getting this chapter sooner, it's just that it's been sitting around and I wasn't to sure it was long enough, so I kept on trying to add to it. Sorry!!!! Any ways if you wanna skip my ramblings then scroll down to the row of happy faces!! 

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Author notes:

This one chapter got to long so I'm splitting it into two chapters; here's the first part. I'm asking for 5 teeny tiny reviews this time, not too many, ne? So please R+R! Also, it's not my fault that fanfiction.net has this stupid problem, I' can't get my chapters online!! Those stupid people there have it down until supposedly August 8-9 but I keep on checking but it's still partially down so I can't put in any chapters!!!! So there!!! It's NOT MY FAULT!!!!! 

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Names:

Japanese/English:

Sakura Kinomoto/Sakura Avalon

Syaoran Li/Li Showron

Meilin Li/Meilin Ray

Touya Kinomoto/Tori Avalon

Tomoyo Daidouji/Madison Taylor

Fujitaka Kinomoto (Sakura's dad)/Aiden Avalon 

+~~~~+

****

Translations:

Japanese/English/Chinese:

Sakura/cherry blossom/ Ying fa

Syaoron/ little wolf/ siw long (pronounced "seew long")

Aishiteru/ I love you/ Ah I ne (pronounced "Ah (a in "all"), I, ne (sounds like me)

Airigato/ thank you

Hai/ yes/ hai

Hoe/ something like "Oh no"/ Iye ya

Si fu (pronounced "see fu (fu as in to_fu_"))/ master

Gaki/ brat

Kaiju/ monster

Otou-san (or) tou-san/ dad

Oni-san (or) ni-san/ brother

Moshi, moshi/ something like hi

Ohayo/ good morning/ Joe sun

Ja ne (or) ja/ goodbye

Konichiwa/ good afternoon

Sayonara/ Goodbye 

+~~~~+

****

Comments on reviews:

Anon: Well, I took out all the "junk" and "interruptions", or so you put it, and only left the bare necessities. Satisfied now? Huh? *Grrrrrr* *Grumble, mumble* Don't mind me, just in a bad mood :)

Evey: Thanks particularly for reviewing, I couldn't have done it without ya! Thanx!

~*~Starlight Princess~*~: Thank you sooo much for reviewing!! Probably the only person that I don't know that actually reviewed more than once!! People like you keep writers going, you know!!! Thanx, you're a writer's best friend!!

****

Also, a special thanks to those of you that have me on their favorite list!!!! You're the best!!

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Disclaimer: You know how it goes, I don't own the characters, only the plot.

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Chapter 3: Reunion

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*~Sakura~*

The Japan airport was crowded with hundreds of people leaving for Christmas holidays. Sakura grasped her heavy luggage (mostly containing more of Tomoyo's creations) tightly and waited impatiently for the ticket line to move. When she finally got to the front, the ticket clerk smiled warmly. "How may I help you?" asked the clerk cheerfully.

"I have a ticket reserved under the Li clan," answered Sakura, saying exactly what Syaoran had told her to say.

"You must be a very special guest then. Not a lot of people get that honor," said the clerk kindly.

"Thanks," replied Sakura, beginning to get a bit embarrassed.

"Here's your plane ticket. You will be the first one to exit the plane since the ticket has been reserved under the Li name," said the lady (clerk) smiling, while handing Sakura her ticket.

"Thank-you again," answered Sakura, puzzled and shocked to as why she, specifically, would depart the plane first.

"Flight 134 to Hong Kong. Flight 134 to Hong Kong," called the speaker overhead the immense crowd.

Sakura quickly dashed to the gate, eager to see the one she loved once again. 

+~~~~+

*~Syaoran~*

The amber-eyed boy sighed contently, knowing that today he'd see his beloved cherry blossom again. -No,- thought Syaoran,-she wasn't _his_ cherry blossom, she never was, she probably left someone special back in Japan. Syaoran sighed once again but this time with deep regret. He was never able to notify Sakura about his feelings toward her ; never able to show how much he cared and couldn't live without her.

Looking out the window, Syaoran saw the sunny landscape of Hong Kong, so unlike the snow-filled lands of Japan at this time of year. Syaoran was happy that Sakura dismissed the fact that he had stopped writing to her. Back then (even though it seemed liked yesterday) he thought that if he broke communication with Sakura then he could forget about her beautiful hair, her sparkling eyes, _her_...but that theory proved definitely wrong. In fact, not talking to Sakura only made him think about her more but when he realized that, he was too ashamed to start their communication again.

Syaoran quickly stole a glance at the clock and saw that it was already 9:00 am. -Better get going, only one more hour,- thought Syaoran as he headed out the door.

+~~~~+

*~Sakura~*

The plane was about to land in the Hong Kong airport and Sakura was overflowing with excitement at seeing Syaoran once again. When the plane finally landed, a stewardess escorted Sakura out of the first-class section and to thee entrance/exit of the plane.

Right when Sakura stepped off the plane, a million flashes from cameras erupted. -It's as if I'm some sort of movie star,- thought Sakura as she scanned the vast crowd of media people in search for Syaoran. 

In truth, Sakura was so beautiful that she gave the impression of a famous actress with her auburn hair, which now reached her shoulders, blowing in the slight wind. Sakura wore a not-to-revealing pastel pink dress dotted with Sakura blossoms at the edge and had strings that criss-crossing up her back.

The whole crowd was silent for a moment, awed by Sakura's presence but the flashes soon started again as a limousine advanced toward the plane exit. -I wonder who that is...-thought Sakura, staring to get curious. 

+~~~~+

*~Syaoran~*

= There's a slight time shift in this but please bear with me... = The sleek black limousine started to pull into the airplane gateway when hundreds of bright lights flashed stimutanously. -I should of known the media would but here. After all, the Li clan is most powerful; therefore, most famous, in all of Hong Kong,- thought Syaoran as he glanced out of the window to catch a glimpse of Sakura. What Syaoran saw struck him hard. There in front the plane doorway as a graceful woman that he could have sworn was an actress. Syaoran almost dismissed the lady and was about to look for Sakura when he noticed those stunning emerald eyes and he knew it had to be Sakura. He slowly opened the limousine door as if in a dream he never wanted to awake from and took a good look at Sakura as questions from reporters etc, blared to life. But the only thing Syaoran noticed was Sakura, standing quizzically at the doorway, looking back and forth, searching for something or someone.

+~~~~+

*~Sakura~*

Sakura watched anxiously as a handsome hazel-haired youth stepped out of the limousine. -Oh my gosh! That can't be Syaoran, he looks so...different, but...those eyes,- thought Sakura as she begun to rudely stare at the man, trying to organize her confused thoughts. Before she could stop herself, Sakura dashed down the airplane stairs to meet the man waiting at the bottom. When Sakura got there, she embraced the man tightly, not wanting let go and lose the moment. She then pecked him lightly on the cheek. "I'm glad to see you," whispered Sakura quietly so only the man could hear.

"Me, too," whispered Syaoran back, "me too..."

Right when Sakura's lips touched Syaoran's cheek, a million flashes went off at once. Reporters started firing a million questions a second and Sakura was utterly confused, wondering why the media was here in the first place. Sakura only caught hold of one question which was, Are you Syaoran's girlfriend? Sakura blushed immediately in reaction to the remark.

The crowd had blocked the entrance of the limousine, despite the efforts of various bodyguards. Sakura looked around frantically, and seeing no other route, she yelled, "If you'll just let us through, I promise to tell you some extremely important piece of information!" Immediately, a just fell over the crowd as they waited eagerly for the "important information". A path was quickly forming towards the limousine so Sakura said, "My name is Sakura Kinomoto and I have just arrived from Japan." After she said that, she pulled Syaoran toward the limousine before the media could start bombarding them with questions again.

+~~~~+

*~Syaoran~*

The limousine was luxuriously furnished but Syaoran didn't notice any of this and could only keep his eyes on a certain green-eyed beauty. -She's so beautiful,- thought Syaoran, his heart beating ever faster. -She hasn't changed much on the inside, she's still her same innocent, friendly self,- thought Syaoran, giving Sakura a quick scan before he could stop himself. -She's changed quite a bit on the outside though, much different than her 13-year-old self. On second thought, she's changed a lot on the outside. Sakura grew her hair a bit longer but not much, but she still has those same beautiful emerald eyes. What a perfect combination, both outer and inner beauty,- thought Syaoran with a slight blush.

+~~~~+

*~Sakura~*

-Syaoran has definitely changed over all these years! I wouldn't have recognized him except for his glittering amber eyes...the only ones in the world. I've missed him so much, but it seems that he's been able to cope without me. He probably thinks of me only as a friend, but what more can I ask for? I don't want to ruin what we already have. He's probably already married to Meilin by now...- Sakura thought as she managed to choke back a sob. she wasn't, however, able to stop a solitary tear from escaping her sorrowful eyes. -I still don't know why he stopped talking to me all those years ago. *Sigh* I guess he just doesn't really want to have me around,- thought Sakura remoursely as she tried to look out the black tinted limousine window.

+~~~~+

*~Syaoran~*

"What's wrong, Sakura?" asked Syaoran, his heart shattering piece by piece as the tear make it's way down Sakura's cheek. As soon as the question was asked, Sakura's attention snapped immediately to Syaoran.

Hastily, Sakura wiped away the tear and said, " Oh, nothing." Sakura quickly put on her brightest smile, hoping it would convince Syaoran. It' didn't. Even though Syaoran didn't quite believe her, he had to give her the benefit of the doubt. Any ways, if it was a problem, Sakura could handle it. 

The realistic screech of brakes jolted Syaoran out of his reverie as the limousine arrived at the dazzling mansion gates. 

To be continued...

+~~~~+

Touya: WHAT IS THAT CHINESE GAKI DOING WITH _MY _KAIJU?!?!?! HE'S NOT ALLOWED TO BE WITH HER!!!!!!!!!

Kitty: ...

Touya: HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN?!?!? AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!

Kitty: ...

Touya: SAY SOMETHING!!! YOU'RE THE AUTHOR!!!

Kitty: Well...it's not really _my_ fault. Sakura's otou-san said she could go...

Touya: I DON'T CARE!! WHO'S GOING TO LOOK AFTER HER?!?!

Kitty: Well there's always Kero...

Touya: Who's Kero?

Kero: *appears from thin air* ME!!!

Touya: AAAAAHHHH!!! Did that stuffed-animal just _TALK_?

Kitty: *stuffs Kero in a bag* Ummm...of course not! Stuffed-animals can't talk!

Touya: I guess so...HEY!!! WHAT ABOUT SAKURA?!?!?

Kitty: Umm...we're outta time, gotta go!!

Touya: Hey!! Hey!! You can't get away with thi-

Kitty: SORRY! Tune in next chapter!

+~~~~+

Preview of next chapter:

Will we know who the "unknown" person/thing is?? =I know, I didn't even mention him in the chapter. Sorry!= Will the destined card captors ever confess their true feelings? Was Syaoran's nightmare about Sakura actually a nightmare? Or is it a vision? Will Touya manage to kill the author?? =Heheheh...sorry 'bout that, it sorta just slipped in there...= Find out next time on...I'll Be With You Forever!

+~~~~+

Author's notes:

Not much to say here...Neways, Thanx for reading my chapter y'all! Please review, don't forget!! Oh ya, I also organized the translations etc. a bit and added a "comments on reviews" section! See you next time!


	5. Chapter 4:Painful and Cheerful Memories

I'll Be With You Forever

By: Kitty Meow

Aye there everybody!! Chapter 5 is finally out!! Yay!! *hears absolute silence* Starting from last chapter, I had added a few more sections to my chapter and for this chapter I have added a question section. Please check it out! Anyway... if you wanna skip my useless ramblings/excuses, you can scroll down to the row of happy faces (this will be available to you every chapter!). Don't forget to R+R!!!!!!!

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Author's Notes:

Well, I know I haven't put anything up in a long time but you can hardly blame me!! School is back and where there's school; there's homework. And so...I've had a ton of homework that I can barely trudge my way through and I haven't had a lot of time to type my story up. I've also started thinking that this chapter (continuing from ch.4) is starting to get extremely long but instead of cutting it, I'm gonna write it all out, that's the reason why it all took so long. I've taken the liberty of adding a few sections to my story to "spice it up" so to speak, which started last chapter. Another thing, the Chinese I have used is strictly Cantonese, so if the words don't sound like the ones in other stories, it's because they used Mandarin. Anyway, the reason why I used Cantonese (did I mention that I speak it?) is because (I think) that Hong Kong is Cantonese. I almost forgot to tell you, I was reading the greatest books and I just couldn't stop so I've severely neglected that I had a computer! Please, find it in your heart of hearts to forgive me! *grovels at readers' feet* Oh dear, it seems that I've written (or said) too much already, I'll have to leave you to the story now ^ _ ^(). R+R!!!

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****

Names:

Japanese/English:

Sakura Kinomoto/Sakura Avalon

Syaoran Li/Li Showron

Meilin Li/Meilin Ray

Touya Kinomoto/Tori Avalon

Tomoyo Daidouji/Madison Taylor

Fujitaka Kinomoto (Sakura's dad)/Aiden Avalon 

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****

Translations:

Japanese/English/Chinese:

Sakura/cherry blossom/ Ying fa

Syaoron/ little wolf/ Siw Long (pronounced "see-you long")

Aishiteru/ I love you/ Ah I ne (pronounced "Ah (a in "all"), I, ne (sounds like me)

Airigato/ thank you

Hai/ yes/ hai

Hoe/ something like "Oh no"/ Iye ya

Si fu (pronounced "see fu (fu as in to_fu_"))/ master

Gaki/ brat

Kaiju/ monster

Otou-san (or) tou-san/ dad

Oni-san (or) ni-san/ brother

Moshi, moshi/ something like hi

Ohayo/ good morning/ Joe sun

Ja ne (or) ja/ goodbye

Konichiwa/ good afternoon

Sayonara/ Goodbye / Joy gean

+~~~~+

****

Comments on reviews:

Evey: As always, thanx a bunch by reviewing!

wen_eve: I thank you very much for your sentimentality, it is greatly appreciated by ones such as myself!

****

Also, a special thanks to those of you that have me on their favourite list!!!! You're the best!! And, how could I forget? A thank you to all of you who take the time to R+R!

+~~~~+

Question: 

This section is provided so that the first person to answer CORRECTLY, I will reward them with a picture drawn by me personally of anything. Of course there are a few exceptions, the things I will draw are CCS, Pokémon, Final Fantasy, Escaflowne, Chocobos, Digimon (I'm not very good at that), or a made-up character (be specific). I will not draw anything hentaish, or not related to Anime. You can of course request something that wasn't listed and I'll tell you if I'm willing to draw it. On last thing, in order to send you the picture, you're gonna need to include your e-mail address. Look carefully because the answer will appear in the story!! Now what you're all waiting for, the QUESTION!!!

1. On the Li mansion gate, what mythical animal "guarded" the namesake?

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Disclaimer: *sigh* sadly, I do not own any of the CCS characters, if I did, I'd be literally rolling in dough. So please, don't sue poor little ol' me, I'm broke!!

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Chapter 4: Painful and Cheerful Memories

+~~~~+

*~Sakura~*

Sakura was amazed by the sheer size of the building but was even more dazzled by the large amount of unoccupied space. The massive golden gate itself held the Li name (represented in Chinese characters) engraved in the very center. Miniature dragons surrounded the namesake, as if to guard it from thieves or intruders. A grey-white marble wall surrounded the whole estate so Sakura's view was limited to only what could be seen through the shimmering gates. 

The dazzling gates soon opened to reveal the whole lay of the Li estate. Everything was beautifully organised and Sakura wondered how they could keep everything so _organised_. Casting a furtive glance this way and that, Sakura scanned the scene before her. It was more breathtaking then what she'd seen through the glimmering gates. Syaoran seemed indifferent noticed Sakura as she suddenly forgot the estate and focused on Syaoran. -My impassive hero, - thought Sakura as she fought a sudden urge to touch him, to make sure she wasn't dreaming. But no matter what the urge, she knew it wouldn't be possible, she had no right. Syaoran wasn't even her boyfriend and he hadn't even talked to her all those long years. Secretly, she promised herself that she would tell Syaoran her true feelings about him, no matter the consequences. As the limousine reached the front doors, Sakura looked determinedly towards it.

*~Syaoran~*

Syaoran looked toward Sakura as the limousine finally came to a complete stop. Glancing indifferently at Sakura, he gave a fond smile that was barely noticeable unless you knew him. The small smile was soon wiped off his face as he remembered what the Clan would do if they caught him. Syaoran's brow furrowed and his blank expression became a scowl as he recalled the memory. Turning his back to Sakura, he allowed the memory to wash over him.

*Flashback*

A short Chinese boy about six years old skipped happily down the street with a broad smile on his face as he headed home. The stone-paved street was deserted, seeing how close he was to his Clan estate. Though no one would say it to the Clan's face, everyone was strangely nervous or afraid of the Li Clan, they thought that the Clan was either inhuman or incapable of emotion. With a smile still gracing his face, Syaoran slowly opened the outer gate, stepped in cautiously and then opened the main doors. Slipping silently inside, he went to greet his mother but her face was void of all emotion and was deathly pale.

"What's wrong ma-ma?" asked Syaoran worriedly, the smile briefly disappearing.

"I must consult with Elders at once, Siw Long. Wait here. Don't move," replied his mother brokenly.

When Syaoran's mother came back, behind her were the five head Elders with menacing yet disappointed expressions on their faces. Syaoran looked quizzically at the Elders, not knowing what he did wrong that could require their immediate presence. "Do you understand the severity of your misconduct, Siw Long?" bellowed the high Elder, the elderly mad standing in the middle of the semi-circle the Elders had formed.

"I don't see what's wro-," started Syaoran but cut himself off because of how informally he had been speaking to the Elder. He then carefully rephrased his sentence and replied, "No, high Elder. I don not understand what incorrect action I have committed."

"What you have done is indulge yourself in meaningless happiness with that...*shiver* smile on your face. The future leader of such a powerful Clan must not _smile_ unless his Clan has accomplished something great. You must not smile for your own personal, useless accomplishments. Do you understand?" asked the Elder, but continued on without waiting for an answer. "Your punishment will be twenty lashes (which Syaoran winced at) and four days of isolation _without_ food to think about your crime," stated the high Elder with finality. Syaoran's mother was standing stiffly by one of the numerous red, marble columns so as not to interfere. She gasped and had a shocked expression on her face, but she quickly masked it with her usual indifferent expression.

+~~~~+

Syaoran, despite his young age, walked impassively down the hallway leading to the punishment chamber. Though his expression was emotionless (as he was trained to be), he was experiencing inner turmoil. He was asking himself questions like, What's wrong with smiling? and, Why so heavy a punishment for it? But his questions drained away to pure fear as he stood in front of the punishment chamber's heavy wooden door. Preparing to knock, he raised a fist but to his surprise, the door opened automatically. Peering inside the dark room, he stood still to allow his eyes to adjust to the dim, wavering light. After he believed he could see clear enough, he slowly stepped into the room with his hands balled into fists, trembling ever so slightly at his sides.

Syaoran took a clear look at the room as he stepped inside fully. To his consternation, the room was not the torture room he had imagined but a room devoid of any objects at all. The floor was tiled marble and at each corner stood a plain marble column.

Then he spotted _him_. The "punisher". Holding a lash in one had and dressed all in black, the man looked like he had stepped out of some medieval time period. Losing his composure, Syaoran slowly stepped towards the menacing man and looked at him with an expression of utter helplessness. But instead of the menacing and cruel smile he awaited to see on the towering giant, he saw a sorrowful smile. -Ironic,- thought the little boy, _I should be the one that's sad, not hi-,-Syaoran didn't have time to finish his thought as a searing pain ripped through his back.

Six-year-old Syaoran gritted his teeth against the pain as the whip came down again. All through his life, Syaoran knew he would never forget that feeling...it was just too painful to describe.

Syaoran fought to remain conscious as the blissful blackness blinked in and out. He knew that he'd have horrible scars left over from the unforgettable experience.

*End of Flashback*

Syaoran sighed heavily. It had taken many long months to physically recover from the punishment but it took even longer to psychologically recover. Ironically, soon after Syaoran's healing was over, the head Elder had passed away and the no-smiling law was removed. The majority of the people in the Clan believed that it was strange and foolish to be punished for smiling and thought that the old Elder was just jealous of others but kept the thought to themselves.

Sighing once again, Syaoran tentatively reached behind his back to where the scars were. With the memories still clear in his mind, he winced at the phantom pain that was no longer physically there, unaware of Sakura's quiet inquisitions. 

*~Sakura~*

"Syaoran?" Asked Sakura worriedly. -What did I do wrong?- Sakura asked herself, -Did I hurt him?- At that thought Sakura's heart plummeted as her unconscious habit of fiddling with her star key came back. Once again, except this time much more quietly, more timidly, Sakura asked, "Syaoran?" When, yet again, the chestnut coloured haired boy did not answer, Sakura got more and more uncomfortable. Suddenly, Syaoran's hazel eyes closed a look of pure pain crossed his usually expressionless face. -Oh no! I've hurt him!! What did I do wrong, no, no, no, no, no...-Sakura thought as sorrow clouded her emerald eyes. -He hates me. He hates me. He hates me. He hates me...-Sakura's mind thought over and over again as she turned her back to Syaoran.

*~Syaoran~*

As he opened his eyes, the first thing Syaoran saw was Sakura's back. Somehow he had unconsciously turned to face her as the images of pain and torture still flashed through his mind. Then, seeing Sakura's back to him, Syaoran thought to himself, -You baka!! Baka, baka, baka!! She's probably angry at you for just dazing off and ignoring her!!- Priming himself for the worst, he gently spun Sakura around to face him. He was prepared for anything...but this.

Sakura's tears cascaded down her cheeks, some making their way onto the yielding floor. Sakura's eyes were closed and her head was bowed, seemingly oblivious to the fact she had been turned around. Syaoran just didn't know what to say so he just followed what his heart told him to do. He embraced her, putting all his love and compassion into the simple touch.

*~Sakura~*

Sakura felt comforting arms reach around her and was utterly confused. -Who's that?- Sakura's mind asked herself in it's still saddened state. Slowly, as she raised her head, Sakura's eyes fluttered open revealing two emerald orbs, glazed over from tears. As the image of Syaoran became clear, Sakura's mind immediately believed this to be a dream but either because for the extremity of sorrow, joy, or confusion, she didn't care. Letting herself give in she returned the embrace and leaned her head on his chest. Allowing the scent of autumn and sandalwood lull her to sleep, Sakura fell into a deep slumber.

*~Syaoran~*

The hazel-haired boy looked tenderly at the brown-haired beauty rhythmically breathing in a deep sleep. Unable to resist the urge he slowly trailed a callused (by sword fighting) finger down one side of the slumbering sorceress' flushed cheek. He felt his breath shudder as he revelled in the feeling of her skin. Sakura shifted ever so slightly, causing Syaoran to sharply draw in a breath, hoping she didn't feel his feather-light caress. There was no need to worry though because Sakura only moved to snuggle closer and contentedly sigh, "Syaoran..."

To Syaoran's mortification, the limousine door slowly opened, revealing the patiently waiting chauffeur. As the scene slowly sunk in the chauffer's mind, his eyes widened at Sakura and Syaoran's seemingly intimate embrace. Slowly, the sorcerer could feel the familiar heat gradually rising to his cheeks but his pride forced the blush back...a little.

Carefully lifting Sakura into his arms, Syaoran headed resolutely to the mansion's main entrance, motioning the chauffeur to bring Sakura's luggage.

Syaoran lightly stepped up the marble stairs to the main doors of the massive mansion, still carrying his precious burden. Feeling Sakura stir, he lightened his steps, so as not to wake his still slumbering princess. Wary of his sisters and mother, Syaoran attempted to quietly sneak in unnoticed. He was close, so ever so close, but not close enough.

*~Unknown~*

The shadowed figure stood in a nearby tree, safely covered by the dense deciduous tree leaves. He could slowly feel the sudden overtake of jealousy when Syaoran held the female card captor ever so protectively and intimately. Disappointed at himself that he had allowed the feelings of jealousy cloud his mind, the figure quickly shook it off. Then positioning himself more comfortably on the tree branch, he allowed his mind to wander. Soon eerily golden eyes gleamed evilly underneath the dull black hood as the figure thought of the "little wolf's" slow and painful death. After though, he smirked, knowing that once Syaoran was out of the picture, he would have his cherry blossom all to himself. She would be his...

to be continued...

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*sniff, sniff* I'm in such a dramatic cliff hangy type of mood that I'm going to neglect the comedy section just this once.

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Preview of next chapter:

What will the reactions of Syaoran's sisters and mother be when they discover Sakura?? Why does the shadowed figure want Sakura so much? How does he know Sakura at all? Will the two magic wielders ever confess their love?? Find out next chapter of...I'll Be With You Forever!! 

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Author's comments:

*nervous laughing* ehehehe, I um, sorta, a, um, forgot to put the "unknown's" history in there. Oh well, I guess I'll have to put it in _next _chapter ^_^ (). Any ways, moving on, I didn't actually include the action part into my story yet. Trust me, I'm getting there, I just have to make the perfect setting for it!!! So, don't forget, R+R!!!!


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